“It’s crazy,” Mitchell remembers, speaking to BBC Radio London. “Back when I was younger watching Match of the Day, you never ever put yourself in that position, that you’re going to be on Match of the Day one day.
“You’re there watching it every weekend, and you’re just fascinated. But you never ever put yourself in the position where you’re like: ‘I’m going to be on there in a few years’.”
It wasn’t an easy journey. Born in Brent and growing up in Harrow, Mitchell’s father was absent throughout a tough childhood – but he found support elsewhere.
“For me, it wasn’t as deep because you might have a friend in a similar situation, or other people in a similar situation,” Mitchell explains. “It didn’t have a big effect on me. There were still other people supporting me, there was no lack of affection, or love, or support.
“So, in my case, sometimes if someone is not there you find it within other people, or you find it within yourself. And I feel like I find it within myself and other people because I was trying to get to different areas, and meeting different personalities that help you when you are younger.
“Every day I feel proud and grateful for what I’ve achieved and how far I’ve come. Now, it’s like I can see it [success], when before I couldn’t really see it. I was proud to be in an academy, but I couldn’t see the end goal.